Feeding device for ink fountains



Jan. 19, 1954 H. JOVISHOFF ET AL 2,666,386

FEEDING DEVICE FOR INK FOUNTAINS Filed March 5, 1952' IIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIII BY fen t f/arp Patented Jan. 19, 1954 OFFICE FEEDING DEVICE FOR INK FOUNTAINS Hans J ovishofl and Ben New York, N. Y.

W. Karp,

Application March 5, 1952, Serial No. 274,864

5 Claims.

This invention relates to ink fountains of the type employed in printing presses. As is well known in this art, it is desirable to cause the ink in the fountain to constantly flow toward the fountain roller and various attempts have been made to secure the required result by means of different types of agitators. Such agitators, which generally assume the form of blades moved back and forth through the fountain, require mechanism to produce the required agitating movement; require cleaning, and are expensive to manufacture, install and maintain.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ink-feeding means for fountains in which the employment of agitators and other movable elements requiring expensive operating mechanism is dispensed with, and a simple, vertically disposed blade, extending for the interior length of the fountain is employed, and which is under required spring pressure to constantly urge the blade toward the periphery of the inking roller while the lower edge of the blade follows the inclination of the lower inner surface of the fountain, consisting of a fountain blade.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this character which can be very readily installed on various known types of printing presses; which can be readily adjusted, dismantled and cleaned and which will be capable of long continued use without requiring special care or maintenance.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth, we have devised the particular arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through an ink fountain, showing the improved feed mechanism applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the supporting brackets, and associated parts, looking at the same from the outer side;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the ink fountain and improved ink feeding device; and

Fig. 6 is a face view of the feeding blade.

Referring to the drawing, the ink fountain is generally indicated at I, and the same includes the side walls 2 and 3 and the sloping bottom 4. Mounted on the sloping bottom 4 is the conventional adjustable distributor or fountain blade 5 by means of which the coating of ink applied to the inking roller 6 is regulated in the conventional manner. The elements thus far described, including the supporting members 1 for the ink fountain, are of well-known construction.

Fixedly secured on the top of each of the side members 2 and 3 of the ink fountain, are brackets 8 and 9, which are alike in construction so that a description of one will suflice. Each of the brackets 8 and 9 is provided with an inclined guide slot I0 arranged at an angle similar to the slope or slant of the bottom 4 and blade 5 thereon. Guided in each of the slots I0 is a guide block I I that is provided at one end with an enlarged portion or head I2. The head is formed with a vertical passage I3 through which a pin I 4 remove ably extends.

The ink-feeding blade is shown at I5, and it will be noted that the same constitutes a vertical partition that is constantly urged by spring pressure toward the inking roller to thereby force the ink I6 in the fountain toward and into contact with the periphery of the roller.

The lower end of the blade is beveled as indicated at H, and the same rests against the distributor blade 5 and is held into contact therewith by the weight of the feed blade I5. The inkfeeding blade I5 is provided with a pair of lugs I8 through which the guide pins I4 extend, thus maintaining the blade vertically and also in proper alignment for the length of the ink fountain.

Located above the slot I0 in each of the brackets 8 and 9 is anundercut slot I9 which ex-' tends at an angle parallel to the lower slot ID.

A spring 20, of the wishbone type, has oneleg 2|, secured by a wing-nut 24' on screw 22 in a block 23 which is adjustable in the slot l9. By tightening the wing-nut 24 on the screw 22, leg 2| of spring 20 may be fixedly held at any desired location in the slot I9 and thus the pressure of the spring regulated. The second leg 25 of the spring 20 is attached to the block I2 by means of a thumbscrew 26, carrying the wings 21. There is, of course, one of these springs at each end of the blade I5 and associated with each of the brackets 8 and 9.

From the foregoing, the operation of the improved ink-feeding device will be readily understood. When the fountain is to be filled the spring 25 may be retracted by loosening the screw 26 and bringing the leg 25 of the spring back to the rear end of the slot It. When the fountain has been filled the spring may be set at the desired position to cause the same to urge the feedforwardly under the :pressure of the spring-urged blade I5 and the roller "6 thus receiving the required coating despite a possible low level of ink in the fountain.

The device is such that it may be=easily removed for cleaning or for other purposes, or readily disassembled when required. ainsertion of the feeding blade i5 into the fountain, or its removal from the fountain, is very easily accomplished by removing the two pins M.

Having described one embodiment ef'the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is ibroadencugh to cover allrstructures-coining within the scope-of the annexedrclaims.

What isclaimedis:

1. An apparatus of the character described, comprising an ink fountain having an inclined bottom member, an inking roller located at the outlet end ,of ,the fountain, a bladearranged vertically within the fountain and extending for the length of the fountain and movably sup ported bypartszonthe end walls of the fountain, said ,parts constituting supports for the opposite ends ,of the blade, each of said supports being provided with an inclined guideslot of an in clinationsimilar to ,that of the inclined bottom member, the blades having elements riding in said slots, and springs for urging the blade toward the vi eripheryof the roller and downwardly atan. angle definedbythe guide slots,.said springs hav ng ends engaging. and. adjustable in said supports.

2. An apparatus of the ,characterdescribed in claim 1, wherein the ,springsernployedare wishbone springs, each of the said springs having on leg operative ,to ,urge the blade forwardly and downwardly and the second leg maintained in .a fixed position, and means for :locating and adiustably hiring the position of said second .leg.

.3. An apparatus of the character described comprising, anink fountain, a rolleratlthe outletend of .the fountain, brackets at the opposite ends of the fountain, each of said brackets being provided with a pair of inclined .slots, ,a guide member located in on slot in each bracket, a

blade disposed vertically within the ink fountain and extending for the length of the fountain, said blade .beingsupported ateaohiend byagu de member, .a-spring adjacent to -each bracket, each spring having a leg disposed in the second slot in each bracket, each spring having a second leg operatively engaging one of the guide members to thereby urge the blade toward the periphery of the roller while causing the lower edge of the blade to follow and be constantly located adjacent to the lower inside surface of the ink foun tain.

i. vAn apparatus of the character described comprising, an ink fountain, a roller at'the outlet end of the fountain, brackets at the opposite end walls of the fountain, each bracket having anupper andlower inclined slot, a guide member located in the lower slot in each bracket, a

blade disposed vertically within the ink fountain and extending for the length of the fountain, the

bladebeing engaged at each end by a guide memher, a spring located adjacent to each bracket,

each spring having a leg operatively engaging one of the guide members to thereby urge the blade toward the periphery of the roller while causingthe loweredgeof the blade tozfollow the lower inside surface of the ink fountain, and means for anchoringa second endof-each spring in the upper slot, :said spring-anchoring means being adjustable to or-from'the roller.

5-1511 ppa atus of the character described comprising, an ink fountain havingend walls a roller at the-outlet end of the-fountain,=-a;braoket mounted on the top of reach of the ,end walls, each-bracket being provided with .a pairofparallel inclined slots, zone of :said slots ,in each bracket being located above the other, ;a guide member located in :the lowermost :slot in each bracket, a blade disposed vertically within .the fountain and extending for the length .of the iountain said blade being supportedateachend by one of the guide -members,-alspring adjacent to each brackehsaidspring having aniend disposed in the upperslot in .the bracket, means in said slot for anchoring said endof the spring at selected locations in saidupperslot, the-spring having a second end \operatively engaging one of the guide members to thereby urge the blade toward the periphery of the roller While causing the loweredge of the blade to follow andbeconstantly ,locatedadjacent to the lower .inside surface of the rink fountain.

HANS JOVISHOEF. BEN W. .KARP.

References Cited in the file of this ,patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,188,219 Bushman J an. 23, 1 940 2,399,688 Metzner May 7, I946 

